As the roadies were putting in their 3-4 minute power blasts up Belmont for the open hill climb, the mountain bikers were taking on an entirely different beast a short distance away in Ashton Court. Oktoberfest is an endurance event, with riders in teams or solo taking on the 4 or 8 hour event - how many times can you go around the (slightly extended) singletrack course perched on the hill side of Ashton Court in the given time? Words by Tim Robinson:

This was my 3rd Oktoberfest and as a final year student my last chance to have a crack at the solo podium after narrowly missing out a few times in the past.

I didn't have the grit to attempt the 8-hour so opted for the more manageable 4hr Solo Men's event. The start line was a mix of serious leg shaving types, and less-serous baggy short types (although I have learnt from past attempts not to write off this sort of man). The Le Mans start running up the hill was exciting as ever and I made it into the singletrack woods on the back end of the main group and then ground it out for the rest of the afternoon. I was pleasantly surprised to find I was 2nd after 6 laps. The leader was 15 minutes ahead so I pushed hard on the last lap to ensure I kept 3rd position at bay.

I did 7 Laps in 3hrs 31minutes and had to make the decision that I couldn't squeeze out one more as my last lap was 32 minutes despite burying myself, so no chance of knocking 3 more minutes off it. A great afternoon racing and I have to recommend it for future years, definitely an easy enough a course that purist roadies could give it a good crack. There is also a home advantage of having the course on our doorsteps to practice on.

Round-up

The second annual UOBCC open hill climb had perhaps the finest field yet, thank you to everyone who turned up to cheer and compete!

First rider off was UOBCC's own Andrew Kirby, setting a very strong opening time of 3:20 dead, a tough benchmark but there were many quality riders still to come. It didn't take long before Thomas Weir (Swansea University CC) earned the top spot. The bench mark was raised once again halfway through the event by Isaac Mundy (Oxford University CC), with a seemingly unbeatable 3:12.1.

However with many strong riders stacked at the end of the start list it was far from a foregone conclusion. The next person to come close was UOBCC alumni Will Bourne (now riding for Clay Cross RT), just 0.7 seconds off the mark and with only a few riders left. The final person to trouble Isaac's time in the hot seat was local big name on Strava Richard Spink (T1 Diabetes.info), coming in just 0.8 seconds behind the winner and having to settle for third place. A very tight podium grouping, fantastic rides from all!

Meanwhile the women's podium was decided early, with another UOBCC alumni, Kate Mactear taking a commanding lead with a time of 4:22.8 and holding it to the end. Joanne Jago (Performance Cycles) and Josie Rawes (UOBCC) rounded out the women's podium. Fastest junior time was Ceri Middleton (Climb On Bikes RT) with a 3:24.0, also earning himself a top 10. Not far behind was the fastest veteran Adrian Lawson coming in at 3:25.8 (just outside the top 10).

Finally a huge thank you to Thomas Farrugia for organising the whole event, Ben Alexander for taking photos, the time keepers Ian and Bridget Boon and all of the marshals that kept the event running smoothly. See you all next year!